I bought it from Impulse to avoid the HST, activated on Origin. On Saturday when I ran the release check (you know, just in case), it told me the release time for my time zone. It's Midnight EST, 9:00pm PST tonight.

Origin charges HST because EA has a physical presence in Canada. Gamestop (who own Impulse now) does not, and doesn't have to charge tax. And this way, Impulse gets a part of my purchase price because I'm not going to reward EA for requiring me to use Origin.

Some people have been using VPN (virtual private network) to activate it early.

Also, you can do multiplayer two ways. Earn your points or buy them. Who would have suspected EA giving you so many options to spend your money.

Posted by Chris Priestly, BioWare forums:

Quote:

In the full version of Mass Effect 3 multiplayer, players obtain Reinforcement Packs using credits earned while playing the game. These packs may include weapons, upgrades, consumables and new characters to play. Based on player feedback during the demo period, the drop rate for rare race/class combinations and weapons has been improved.

For players who do not wish to spend time earning these multiplayer credits through matches, they will have the option to purchase certain packs through real currency. Our goal is to allow all Mass Effect 3 players the ability to experience the best equipment, characters, etc in multiplayer regardless of how much time they have to spend.

Some people have been using VPN (virtual private network) to activate it early.

Also, you can do multiplayer two ways. Earn your points or buy them. Who would have suspected EA giving you so many options to spend your money.

Posted by Chris Priestly, BioWare forums:

See, I would've lost my shit if EVERYTHING was purchasable by real world money. But that keyword "Certain" implies there's still a bunch of stuff you can only get from good ol fashioned grinding. So long as "everything" is obtainable by good ol fashioned grinding.